A Michigan boy who caused an abortion by beating his girlfriend in the stomach with a baseball bat is being accused of a felony; the girl will not face charges, says the Detroit News. Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith said the girl, a willing participant in the induced abortion cannot be charged because the law excludes the mother from criminal liability. The case renewed debate over the protection of fetuses and the fairness of charging just one of two juveniles who allegedly agreed to kill their unborn child.
Miranda Massie, a Detroit civil rights attorney, believes neither teen should be charged: “I believe it is a terrible mistake to be charged at all. This is a tremendous waste of public resources.” Legally, the baby could have been aborted. Because the girl was a minor, she would have needed a judge’s or parental permission. Arthur Caplan, professor of medical ethics at the University of Pennsylvania, believes the girl should be charged with planning, plotting, or conspiring to murder.
Link: http://www.detnews.com/2005/metro/0501/05/A01-50709.htm